Roy Arbon. Photo: Supplied
The search will resume today for a West Coast beekeeper who helped to recover bodies after the Erebus air disaster and was later the victim of a drug smuggling scam after the 75-year-old went missing on a tramp near Greymouth.
Police are concerned for the welfare of Roy Arbon, who is overdue from a solo walk between Mt Davy and Mt Sewell he set out on on Wednesday.
He may be wearing a blue puffer jacket, shorts, and hiking boots, but this is unconfirmed.
West Coast beekeeper Roy Arbon. Photo: Supplied
"Although he is believed to be an experienced hiker, concerns are growing due to the time overdue, lack of contact, and cold temperatures," a police spokesperson said.
Erebus and Cave Creek rescuer
Arbon worked for the Antarctic division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research when Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus in 1979.
In an interview with NZ History, he described the dangerous recovery work: "We were working on a glacier… probing for crevasses with an ice axe. One thing that stayed with me is the smell of unburnt aviation fuel."
He also helped erect a memorial cross on the crash site amid gale-force winds so strong the helicopter could not be shut down.
West Coast beekeeper Roy Arbon Photo: Supplied
"I was asked to help erect a memorial cross on the site. This was done in a gale-force wind so bad the helicopter could not shut down. I believe this was because the wind was blowing so hard, they wouldn't be able to get the machine started without damage to the main rotors."
In 1995, Arbon also assisted in recovering the bodies of 14 people who died when a viewing platform collapsed at Cave Creek.
Caught in a drug scam
Years later, Arbon was caught up in an international drug smuggling scam.
Photo: The Scam screenshot
He was detained in Australia after unknowingly transporting a suitcase from Brazil that contained more than 2kg of cocaine.
He was later acquitted at trial in Western Australia. His ordeal was featured in the documentary The Scam.
Anyone with information on Arbon's whereabouts is urged to contact police on 105, quoting job number P063265345.
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